Freeware/Open Source Software (FOSS) can be a complete mystery to some software developers. “What’s the point?” they ask. “Why would anyone spend their own time building stuff they’re not getting paid for?”
Those are valid questions, and not everyone will be satisfied with the answers FOSS proponents toss out. Commercial software certainly has its place, but the world of FOSS tools is an awfully compelling one, and using those tools makes great business sense in many cases.
Why go the FOSS way? First of all, a wealth of tremendous tools, frameworks, utilities, and widgets are available. You can find everything from complete frameworks that give you applications straight out of the box to tiny gadgets that do only small tasks (but do them very well).
Second, at least for mid-sized and larger projects, there’s a large support network available. Mailing lists, online forums, and blogs abound for tools like NAnt, CruiseControl.NET, and the PowerShell integrated development environment (IDE). Odds are that someone else has already solved the problems you’re struggling with, and that by spending a bit of time with a search engine you’ll find either the answers you’re looking for or, at the very least, a pointer in the right direction.
Third, and more ephemerally, there’s a passion binding these tools together that you generally don’t find in commercial software. This passion keeps the project teams continually improving their products, based on user feedback or new ideas they think would be useful to implement.
Fourth, you’ll never have to worry about making sure you have enough licenses for your team. There have been plenty of times when I (James) found a great commercial tool for a project but couldn’t use it because it would have required the client to purchase 15 additional licenses. Now that I use FOSS tools almost exclusively, I can be sure that all of these tools are always available to my entire team.
Lastly, open source tools are just plain cool. You can delve into the source code and see how industry leaders like Charlie Poole, Ward Cunningham, or Ron Jeffries write their code. That’s an amazing resource to have available to help you expand your knowledge and improve your own code.
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